Separating Fact from Fiction: The Truth About Sea-Tac Airport Shuttles

In our previous blog post, we detailed some of the most popular transportation methods for getting you and your family to and from Sea-Tac, including taxis, rental cars, and light rail, while discussing many of their pros and cons. However, one option we didn’t talk about was airport shuttles, which are a type of ride-sharing service that potentially allows you to pay a lower fare for a ride to your destination.

At first glance, taking an airport shuttle to or from Sea-Tac may seem like a good idea. However, there are some pretty big downfalls with this type of transportation, which we’ll explore in greater detail below.

Airport Shuttle Problem #1: Comfort

Do you enjoy peace and quiet while you’re on your way to or from Sea-Tac? Do you like having personal space while relaxing in a comfortable seat? Perhaps you like to pull out your laptop and get some work done during the ride? If any of these sound like something you’d appreciate, you may want to think twice about hiring an airport shuttle. Why?

Because you have to understand that the primary business model for airport shuttle providers is to pack as many people as possible into a van, and then to race around and drop them off at their various destinations. In other words, it’s much less about providing you with a quality riding experience than it is about corralling as many people as possible into a van in order to maximize profits.

With this in mind, this leads us into the second biggest problem associated with Sea-Tac shuttles: your time.

Airport Shuttle Problem #2: Time

Ok, so you’ll probably be a bit uncomfortable packed into a van with 10-15 strangers on your ride to or from Sea-Tac, but what you may not realize is that you may also be late—sometimes very late, since Seattle airport shuttles have a notorious (and well-earned) reputation for snubbing their noses at schedules.

As we mentioned above, this is because airport shuttles are all about maximizing the number of riders at any given time, thereby maximizing their profits. This means that, although you may have been picked up well in advance of your flight, you’ll likely have to drive around all over the city picking other passengers up before finally making your way to Sea-Tac.

Think it’s any better when leaving Sea-Tac? Likely not, since airport shuttles will typically wait until more than one passenger has made a reservation before dispatching a van, which could mean that you wait hours before finally getting on your way to your destination. And even then, you may have to wait until other passengers are dropped off before it’s your turn.

But even with all these downfalls, they often represent the best possible scenarios. In other words, what if you make a shuttle reservation and something unexpected happens, such as your flight being delayed into Sea-Tac, or your luggage becomes lost? As we mentioned above, airport shuttles are often late picking you up, even if you made a reservation in advance, which might work to your advantage in situations like these. But if you miss your scheduled pickup time, you’ll be moved to the back of the queue, and can expect to wait a long time until you’re finally picked up.

Airport Shuttle Problem #3: Money

Ok, so you understand that you’ll be less (sometimes much less) comfortable in an airport shuttle than in a Starline towncar, and that it’s highly unlikely your shuttle will be on time; but at least you’ll be paying a lot less money, right?

Based on all the negatives associated with Sea-Tac airport shuttles, you could be forgiven for thinking this is the case, but the reality is that there is often very little cost difference between many of the most popular Seattle airport shuttles and the quality service provided by Starline. In fact, when you consider all the problems associated with airport shuttles, as well as the meager cost savings, it’s clear that you’ll receive much more value for your hard-earned money with Starline.

What’s a Better Way to Get to & from Sea-Tac?

As we mentioned in our previous post, time is of the essence when you’re traveling to Sea-Tac, as our beautiful airport has a fairly widespread reputation for long lines at security checkpoints. In other words, sometimes you may fly through (no pun intended) in 5 minutes, while other times you may wait an hour or longer before passing through security.

Because of this, it’s important that you arrive at Sea-Tac well in advance of your flight, and that you’re as comfortable and stress-free as possible on your way there. This is why Starline utilizes the most advanced logistics in the industry in order to ensure that you’re always on time, and our fleet of clean, modern towncars means that you can relax the entire way. On top of this, you won’t spend much more than you would on the cramped, uncomfortable, and impersonal service provided by traditional shuttles.

Experience the Starline Difference for Yourself

You owe it to yourself to get the most value possible for your hard-earned money, which is why you deserve Starline. Make your reservation today, or give us a call at (206) 261-1191!